ProSelect Media Backgrounder

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ProSelect Media Backgrounder

Source: ProSelect Gas Treating Inc.

April 2, 2012

REDUCING THE CARBON FOOTPRINT ONE GREENHOUSE AT A TIME

NEW Carbon capture is a clean energy technology that prevents the release of large quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2), a harmful greenhouse gas (GHG), before it is released into the atmosphere from industrial facilities. Carbon capture technology is a vital tool in the global fight against climate change and the projected increase of the earth’s temperature by 2ºC over the next century.

In an effort to combat the growing concern, The International Energy Agency (IEA) set a target to halve global CO2 emissions by 2050. Canada, in turn, is working towards meeting its GHG emission reduction target of 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020. In 2007, the BC Government established the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 33% below 2007 levels by 2020, increasing to 80% by 2050. The Climate Action Plan published in 2008 provides a roadmap outlining how BC will meet these targets, with every sector of the economy addressed. The IEA estimates that more than 100 carbon capture projects around the world are required by 2020 with over 3000 by 2050, creating a worldwide market for clean energy technologies of $5 trillion. This doesn’t make sense as 100 ccs projects is not enough to generate 5 trillion dollars

ProSelect’s goal is to provide a solution and a revolution in the area of carbon capture first by capturing CO2 emissions from BioMass instead of fossil fuels and secondly by utilizing this CO2 from BioMass instead fossil fuels in order to grow healthy nutritious fruits and vegetables in a greenhouse environment.

GREENHOUSE INDUSTRY EVOLUTION

The greenhouse industry predominantly uses natural gas as a fuel source and liquid CO2 (byproduct of oil refining) for heating and CO2 fertilization. The industry has evolved, however, and many greenhouse operators have made the switch to Biomass as a heating source for their operations. In B.C., there are over a dozen commercial greenhouses that use local wood waste to heat their greenhouses but still rely on natural gas and liquid CO2 to provide CO2 to the plants as fertilization. As you know CO2 is vital to a plants existence as this is what it “breathes” and converts to grow and produce fruits and vegetables.

Until now, there has been no commercially viable option for greenhouses who would like to combust or who are combusting BioMass (wood) for heat to also combust wood to provide the plants with CO2 fertilization.

The GC6 offers this solution. It allows the greenhouse owner to utilize the vast resources of inexpensive Biomass to heat AND provide CO2 for his greenhouse. The savings to the bottom line just in switching to Biomass is a material savings of at least 30%. Add to this obvious benefit of utilizing a renewable, economical resource for heating and CO2 production is the opportunity to verify the greenhouse for carbon credit programs and green government grants to offset the cost of installing new equipment.

The market for the GC6 Carbon Capture System is considerable. Worldwide the greenhouse industry is healthy and growing, at the moment covering 402,981 hectares in 124 countries that produce vegetables.

THE GC6 CARBON CAPTURE SYSTEM – A GLOBAL LEADER

ProSelect’s GC6 Carbon Capture System is taking carbon capture to the next level. Existing Carbon Capture Technology is designed to clean up emmisions from the oil and gas industry by capturing co2 from its processes and burying deep in the ground or under the sea beds.

GC6 technology is the world’s first commercially viable technology designed to not only capture CO2 from a fuel source but to actually use it immediately to grow and produce a product that everyone needs and enjoys…..FOOD. It literally takes the carbon out of wood and turns it into the carbon we eat — vegetables. It has virtually no waste byproducts and utilizes simple organic based chemicals which it recycles continuously.

The made-in-Canada, $5 million patented system created by B.C.-based, ProSelect Gas Treating Inc. is positioned to be a leader in the green carbon capture technology industry.

FROM BIOMASS TO HEALTHY FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

From biomass carbon to healthy fruits and vegetables, the GC6 Carbon Capture system is a patented technology that operates in seamless and closely monitored process in 7 basic steps.

– biomass fuel like wood waste is fed into a 14 megawatt capacity Vyncke Biomass boiler combusted at temperatures of up to 800 degrees C

– the combusted biomass then provides heat for the greenhouses

– the carbon laden boiler flue gas is filtered and cooled for readiness in the GC6 system

– flue gases then enters the GC6 absorber tower where, using a simple organic solvent the gasses are stripped of CO2 at a rate of up to 5 tons per hour.

– the simple liquid organic solvent now laden with pure carbon dioxide captured from the burning wood emissions is stored in the buffer tank.

– The clean, pollutant-free and CO2 free excess vapor is harmlessly emitted into the atmosphere.

– Upon a demand from the greenhouse vegetables the desorber tower springs into action! Solvent from the buffer tank is heated with heat from the wood boiler system and pure carbon dioxide is boiled off then cooled and directly administered to the plants as fertilizer.

– the solvent now free of its CO2 returns back to the absorber tower to begin the process all over again.

Throughout the process, the GC6 computer monitoring system accurately gauges all chemical compounds and all purity levels of carbon dioxide and emissions to make sure all harmful pollutants are effectively filtered in order to ensure the highest food grade CO2 possible.

ProSelect partnered with a team of mechanics, engineers and welders for the design of the GC6 Carbon Capture System. The GC6 is designed to work as an integrated unit with Vyncke biomass boilers. Integral packing materials for the GC6 system were contributed in part by worldwide engineering firm, Koch-Glitsch.

The $5 million project was funded in part by the B.C. government through the Innovative Clean Energy Fund ($2.24 million) and the Government of Canada through Sustainable Development Technology Canada and IDTC Fund ($1.72 million).

ProSelect Gas Treating Inc. is a joint venture between SunSelect Produce, an established family owned Canadian company with over 25 years in the greenhouse industry and Procede BV, a leading Dutch engineering firm specializing in innovative green technologies.